If you like dal, you’re going to love this Langar Ki Dal, which is the creamiest, most flavorful way to combine and cook two dals in your Instant pot!
Instant Pot Langar Ki Dal | Indian Vegetarian Lentils
What is Langar?
Langar is a Punjabi word for the community kitchen or community meal that is made and served by volunteers at the Gurudwara (temple) every Sunday, and is served free to all visitors, no matter who you are.
No one cares about your religion, your gender, your ethnicity, or anything else. Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy the meal. It tends to be vegetarian, and it is always absolutely delicious.
Gurudwara’s also have a sweet that make from flour, ghee and sugar called Kadha Prashad, and let’s be honest, that’s pretty much the only reason my brother and I went to the Gurudwara with my Punjabi mother.
In our defense, we were little and we also had no idea what the priest was saying in Punjabi, so the “dessert” was the highlight of the whole service for us.
I once asked if we could have seconds, and if looks could kill, both my brother and I would have been burned to a cinder when my very indignant mother and grandmother stared at us. It’s not supposed to be about the taste, it’s supposed to be a religious token.
But then they shouldn’t make it that delicious if you ask me.
But that’s okay. I learned to make it myself so now I can have all the Prashad my hips will permit me to eat. So there.
For more info on how to cook beans and lentils in your pressure cooker, check out my guide on How to Cook Beans in the Instant Pot !
Looking for more delicious dal recipes? Check out my Pressure Cooker Rice and Dal . It’s a great Indian comfort food that’s easier to make than you’ll believe!
Another great dal dish is my Instant Pot Moong Dal Soup . It’s a super delicious traditional Indian soup that’s made easily in your Instant pot!
If you’re in the mood for a delicious Indian curry, try this Chicken curry soup recipe .
You can even learn how to make a full Indian meal fast with this video!
Anyway, I digress. This very simple but creamy, hearty, rib-sticking Langar Ki Dal is made by combining two different types of dals. Once you buy the Urad Dal and the Chana Dal , you can make my Dal Makhani as well as the Chana Dal Fry
The Recipe steps for this Langar Ki Dal are:
- Cook dals together for 30 mins at high pressure
- Cook onions, ginger, garlic and tomatoes with spices
- Mix with dal
Want moreamazingIndian Instant Pot recipes?
Langar Ki Dal
Equipment
- INSTANT POT DUO 6 QUART
- Measuring Cups
- OVAL MEASURING SPOONS
Ingredients
Pressure cook
- ▢ 1 cup ( 200 g ) whole black urad dal
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 118.29 g ) chana dal
- ▢ 5 cups ( 1.25 kg ) Water
- ▢ 1 tsp ( 1 tsp ) Kosher Salt
- ▢ 1 tsp ( 1 tsp ) Turmeric
Cook separately
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 1 tablespoon ) Ghee , (can substitute coconut oil, or vegetable oil)
- ▢ 1 ( 1 ) Onion , chopped
- ▢ 2 ( 2 ) Tomatoes , chopped
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 1 tablespoon ) Minced Ginger , minced
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 1 tablespoon ) Garlic , minced
- ▢ 1/2 tsp ( 0.5 tsp ) Cumin seeds
- ▢ 1/2 tsp ( 0.5 tsp ) Turmeric
- ▢ 1/2-1 tsp ( 0.5 tsp ) Cayenne Pepper
- ▢ 1 tsp ( 1 tsp ) Kosher Salt
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 62.5 g ) Water
Instructions
- Combine the Urad and chana Dals with water, salt and turmeric, and cook under High Pressure for 30 minutes. You can use the BEAN setting on your Instant Pot for this.
- Meanwhile, heat a nonstick pan on your stove, and when that’s hot, add the ghee. When the ghee is hot and shimmering, add the chopped onion and sauté for 30 seconds. Add minced ginger and minced garlic and cook these aromatics for 5 minutes, until the edges of the onion start to brown slightly.
- Add tomato and spices and mix well. Add water and mix again.
- Crush the tomatoes with the back of your spoon as they cook. Set aside until the dals are cooked.
- Once the dals are cooked, allow the pressure cooker to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes and release any remaining pressure.
- Using your spoon, crush the dals well to get a creamier texture, leaving some whole dal in the mix.
- Pour in the tomato and onion mixture and mix well before serving.
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Langar Ki Dal
Ingredients
Pressure cook
- 1 cup whole black urad dal
- 1/2 cup chana dal
- 5 cups Water
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Turmeric
Cook separately
- 1 tablespoon Ghee (can substitute coconut oil, or vegetable oil)
- 1 Onion chopped
- 2 Tomatoes chopped
- 1 tablespoon Minced Ginger minced
- 1 tablespoon Garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1/2-1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/4 cup Water
Instructions
- Combine the Urad and chana Dals with water, salt and turmeric, and cook under High Pressure for 30 minutes. You can use the BEAN setting on your Instant Pot for this.
- Meanwhile, heat a nonstick pan on your stove, and when that’s hot, add the ghee. When the ghee is hot and shimmering, add the chopped onion and sauté for 30 seconds. Add minced ginger and minced garlic and cook these aromatics for 5 minutes, until the edges of the onion start to brown slightly.
- Add tomato and spices and mix well. Add water and mix again.
- Crush the tomatoes with the back of your spoon as they cook. Set aside until the dals are cooked.
- Once the dals are cooked, allow the pressure cooker to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes and release any remaining pressure.
- Using your spoon, crush the dals well to get a creamier texture, leaving some whole dal in the mix.
- Pour in the tomato and onion mixture and mix well before serving.
Langar Ki Dal https://twosleevers.com/langar-ki-dal/
This Instant Pot Lentil Soup is always at the top of my must-make-soups list when the weather cools down. It’s a beautiful vegan lentil soup that comes out perfectly in the Instant Pot!
Why Should You Make This Instant Pot Lentil Soup?
- Fast . A simple Instant Pot recipe done in under 30 minutes .
- Easy . Almost anyone can make this easy pour and cook recipe .
- Delicious . Packed with delicious vegetables and spices to make for a surprisingly robust soup.
- Vegetarian . Skip the meat for this tasty vegetarian recipe .
Lentils have such a robust flavor, so they’re perfect for making soups that are rich in taste. Instant Pot Lentil Soup is no exception in the flavor department. Lentils and spinach combine to make this very flavorful and hearty.
What’s In Lentil Soup?
This Instant Pot Lentil Soup also includes a healthy serving of spinach. The spinach is the perfect addition, and its flavor blends well with the lentils. If you don’t want to use spinach, you can also use Kale for a similar flavor and texture profile.
This soup specifically uses whole brown lentils. They will need to be rinsed and drained before you make the soup, but thanks to the Instant Pot will not have to be soaked.
In additional to lentils and spinach, you will also add beautiful spices and herbs like thyme and cumin to infuse those rich flavors we talked about earlier.
What Exactly Is A Lentil?
I was very surprised to discover that for most Americans, the term lentil meant only one kind of lentil. For me, growing up in India, I was familiar with at least 30 different sorts of beans , lentils , and legumes!
I actually created a video and a download called Lots of Lovely Lentils because I really want you to be able to enjoy all these wonderful plant proteins at our disposal.
How Do You Cook Lentils In An Instant Pot?
As you just read in the section above, there are SO MANY different kinds of lentils. The most commonly used lentil for soups etc, is the Red Lentil since it cooks so quickly. However, the Instant Pot is a great way to cook lentils correctly and quickly.
To cook lentils in the Instant Pot, you will need to put in the right amount of water to the correct amount of lentils.
For more info on how to cook beans and lentils in your pressure cooker, check out my guide on How to Cook Beans in the Instant Pot !
Do You Soak Lentils Before Making Soup?
Most lentils won’t need to be soaked before being put in the Instant Pot, thanks to the nature of pressure cooking, but almost all will need to be rinsed first.
How Do You Make Instant Pot Lentil Soup?
- Place all ingredients into the inner liner of your Instant Pot.
- Cook at high pressure for 6 minutes. Allow the pot to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes, and then release all remaining pressure.
- Add 2 cups of water and red wine vinegar, stir and serve. (You are adding this water later so as to reduce time to pressure, and so that you can add more or less water to suit your preference for a thicker or thinner soup).
How Can I Make This Lentil Soup Vegan?
You only need one tiny change to make this Instant Pot Lentil Soup vegan. Switch out the Chicken Broth Powder, for Vegetable Broth Powder. That’s it!
Want Some More Delicious Instant Pot Lentil Recipes?
- Red Lentil Soup - This one is easily made in your Instant Pot and is a reader favorite!
- Dal Makhani - this is the creamiest Dal Makhani recipe, and you’re going to love how it turns out.
- Instant Pot Rice & Dal - you can make rice and dal at the same time in your Instant Pot using the pot-in-pot method - I’ll show you how!
I can’t wait for you to try this classic Instant Pot Lentil Soup so you can see just how easy using your pressure cooker for lentils really is! I hope you also learned about the versatility of lentils and how many ways they can brighten up your dishes!
Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- INSTANT POT DUO 6 QUART
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 cup ( 192 g ) dry whole brown lentils , rinsed and drained
- ▢ 1 cup ( 160 g ) Onion , diced
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 50.5 g ) Celery , diced, or use 2 cups mirrepoix mix to sub for onions, carrots and celery
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 1 tablespoon ) Minced Garlic
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 1 tablespoon ) Fresh Thyme , or use 1 teaspoon dried
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 1 tablespoon ) Tomato Paste
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 1 tablespoon ) Chicken Bouillon Paste
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ( 1 teaspoon ) Ground Cumin
- ▢ 12 ounces ( 1 ) Frozen Spinach , or frozen chard or kale
- ▢ 4 cups ( 1 l ) Water
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) Kosher Salt
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ( 1 teaspoon ) Ground Black Pepper
For Finishing
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 1 tablespoon ) Red Wine Vinegar
- ▢ 2 cups ( 0.5 l ) Water
Instructions
Place all ingredients into the inner liner of your Instant Pot.
Cook at high pressure for 6 minutes. Allow the pot to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes, and then release all remaining pressure.
Add 2 cups of water and red wine vinegar, stir and serve. (You are adding this water later so as to reduce time to pressure, and so that you can add more or less water to suit your preference for a thicker or thinner soup).
To make this recipe vegan, sub the chicken broth powder, for vegetable broth powder.
Don’t skip the rinsing portion of the lentils.
Whole brown lentils should be easy to find in the rice and bean section of most of your local grocery stores.
